If Things Were Different
by LongLiveTheEmperor
Summary: After Dathomir, Sabine sees something different in Ezra. Their blossoming romance changes the course of their lives, as well as galactic history. SABEZRA takes center stage with KANERA in the background.
1. Chapter 1

Dathomir was a nightmare.

Kanan and Sabine were possessed by the spirits of long-dead Nightsister witches, who almost used their bodies as a means to return to their former power. It was only through pure cunning that Ezra was able to defeat the ghosts and free his friends.

But Sabine wasn't completely free.

Not from the memories, at least.

While she was possessed, she was able to see what the Ghost was doing with her body. She saw Ezra fighting for his life as her possessed form swung at him over and over with the Darksaber. She was relieved when he managed to push her out of the cave so the spirit would leave.

Her dreams, however, wouldn't be so kind. They didn't end with Ezra successfully freeing Sabine from the ghost's torment.

They ended with him dying by Sabine's hand.

It was the same dream every night for a week. The spirit got the upper hand and ran the Darksaber through Ezra's heart, only to add insult to injury by leaving Sabine's body just as he died.

Waking up sweating bullets was starting to take its toll. Hera noticed that Sabine was getting sluggish on missions, and was downright lethargic whenever they were on base.

All because that damn dream kept her awake for hours each night.

She knew it wasn't real, that Ezra was alive and well, but the dream still hurt. She couldn't imagine him dying at her hand for any reason, not when she...

What was it? That emotion that the young woman had been feeling for her Jedi friend for just short of three months?

She loved Ezra, for sure, but she always believed that it was that kind of familial love between an older sister and her bratty younger brother.

But Ezra wasn't like that anymore. He had grown into a selfless warrior, truly worthy of the title of Jedi.

And Sabine took notice. No less than five times in the last two months had she caught herself staring at his back whenever he walked away from her, felt herself wanting to get up and run after him. Then Dathomir happened. He had put his life on the line to save hers, and something changed. Sabine found herself wanting more from him.

More _of_ him.

One night, she woke up from that same wretched nightmare and said "Kriff it."

The following day, Ezra finished up a sparring session with some of the troops and came back to the Ghost. Sabine just so happened to be in the cargo hold tuning her jetpack, so she saw the sweat that was making Ezra's shirt stick to his muscular torso. The blush that crept onto her face was thankfully concealed by her welding mask.

"How's it looking?", Ezra asked as he sat down beside her.

"Hmm?"

"The jetpack. You've been working on it all morning."

"Oh. It's... it's fine."

The reluctance in her voice confused Ezra, as Sabine was normally more confident when it came to talking about technology. He decided not to probe into her business, instead standing up and walking to the ladder.

"Well, have fun. I'm gonna change and go for a walk around base."

That statement made Sabine put down her welding torch. She threw off the mask and hopped to her feet. "Mind if I join you?"

Ezra was surprised, but the surprise was a welcome one. He smiled. "Sure."

If not for the giant spiders, Atollon would've been one of the most beautiful and peaceful planets in the Lothal Sector. Its midday sun gave off a vibrant orange hue that reminded Ezra of something that Sabine might have painted. As they walked and talked, he couldn't help but notice how her tan skin seemed to glow. It made her look even more like an angel than usual.

The two young rebels walked up to the top of a coral mesa, one that had a perfect view of the base and the horizon. Ezra sat down criss-cross and took a deep breath, patting the space beside him. Sabine sat down as well and they spent some time in silence, just enjoying the atmosphere.

"Sometimes I wish every day could be like this", Ezra spoke up after a few minutes.

"Like what?"

" _This_. Just a peaceful planet, no war, no constant threat of death, nothing. Just _this_."

The Mandalorian nodded. "It sounds nice. Listen, Ezra. I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"I never thanked you for Dathomir. For saving me."

"Sabine, you don't have to. I'd do anything to protect you, and the rest of our family."

"No, Ezra. I do have to. I _need_ to. You've done so much for the crew, for the Rebellion, for me, and you deserve all the thanks in the galaxy. So thank you."

She surprised both Ezra and herself by capturing him in a firm hug. Once he recovered from the initial shock of the gesture, Ezra slowly wrapped his arms around the Mandalorian in return.

"You're... you're welcome, Sabine."

They remained like that, with Sabine resting her head on her Jedi friend's shoulder.

 _Just tell him. You might never get another chance._

"Ezra... I... I lo-"

She was cut off by her comm buzzing.

"Specter 5, come in. Specter 5, come in."

It was Hera. Sabine answered. "Yeah?"

"You and Ezra need to get back to the Ghost. We've got a mission."

"Copy that, Specter 2. We're on our way."

The two young adults stood up and began walking back to the ship, the Mandalorian mentally kicking herself.

 _You di'kut. You took too long. That's one less chance._


	2. Chapter 2

The mission was supposed to be simple.

Go in, blow up an under-construction Imperial vehicle factory, and get out.

But, as per usual, everything had gone south. Ezra and Sabine were pinned down at the exit by a squad of Stormtrooper security guards, the hangar containing the Ghost on the other side. Sabine was all out of detonators, and her blasters we're almost out of charge.

"Kriff!! We're stuck!! Any ideas?!"

"My comlink got fried back in the reactor room!", Ezra shouted back over the cacophony or blaster fire, "I can't call Hera! How long until the bombs go off?!"

Sabine looked at the timer and her face sunk beneath her helmet. "Less than a minute!!"

All of a sudden, there was an animal-like roar coming from down an adjacent hallway. Ezra and Sabine looked at each other with a mixture of relief and amusement.

Zeb.

The Lasat barreled down the corridor and shouldered the group of Imperial troopers so hard that they went flying in various directions. He then proceeded to pull open the door to the hangar.

"Come on!!"

The young rebels stood up, but Ezra looked and saw a ball of fire speeding towards them. The bombs had blown. In a split-second decision, the Jedi Force-pushed Sabine and Zeb out the door, the explosion catching up and blowing him out behind them.

Sabine got to her feet and saw Ezra laying on the hangar floor, his clothes badly burned along with many parts of his exposed skin. She raced over and patted the flames away, screaming for Zeb to help. The Lasat picked up his unconscious friend and they ran inside the Ghost.

Once they were safely away from the factory, Hera ran to the cabins and saw Zeb laying Ezra on Kanan's bunk. Her lekku twitched with fear and she began issuing orders. Chopper brought her the emergency medical supplies and the rest of the crew left her to her work.

Sabine sat down in the common room and took off her helmet, unaware that she was trembling. Kanan sensed her worry and sat down beside her.

"He's gonna be okay, Sabine. Hera's patched me up more times than I can count, so she should be able to soothe a few burns."

The Mandalorian didn't say anything. She figured Kanan would sense her issues on his own. He did just that, smiling behind his sightless gaze.

"I'll make sure Hera lets you stay with Ezra once she's done with him", the blind Jedi said with a smile before walking out of the common room. Sabine downed a swig from her canteen and leaned her head forward, sighing with a mixture of exasperation and self-loathing.

 _You could've lost him today. And he never would have known how you felt._

 _Stop wasting time._

She no longer had any fears or worries about what Ezra would say. As soon as he was awake and okay, he was going to know.

The trip back to Atollon felt like two days rather than two hours. Every second Sabine twiddled her thumbs and waited for news on Ezra's condition. When Hera came in and said he'd be awake later, the young woman was overcome with relief. The Twi'lek then suggested that Sabine get some rest herself.

"Not happening, Hera. My head doesn't hit a pillow until I see Ezra."

"He's still asleep, but that shouldn't be a problem."

They went to the room and Sabine gasped. Ezra was laying on Kanan's bunk, his upper body wrapped in bandages.

"H-how bad was it?", she nervously asked as she sat beside the bed.

Hera did the same and massaged her cramped wrists. "First-degree burns on his torso from the flames. Cracked a few ribs when he hit the hangar floor. He should be in perfect working order with a couple days of bed rest."

Sabine looked at Ezra's sleeping face and almost smiled. He looked so peaceful in spite of his injuries. She gently rubbed his forehead and kissed his scarred cheek.

"Get better, Ezra."

When they landed back at Chopper Base, Ezra was gently transferred to sick bay and examined by the medical droids, who gave him a healthy prognosis and said he would be fine in a matter of days. Not that the Ghost crew needed any confirmation other than what Hera had already said. Sure enough, the young Jedi was awake by the end of the day.

Needless to say, he had a splitting headache.

"Ah kriff", he groaned, "What happened?"

The whole crew laughed at his first words, Sabine being the first one to answer. "Explosives went off. You took the brunt of it and had a bad hit on the hangar floor. Not only that, you saved Zeb and me."

Ezra smirked. "What can I say? Helping people's kinda become my hobby, thanks to you guys."

"I just spoke with Commander Sato. He says you're strictly forbidden from duty until you're fully recovered", Hera chimed in, "We'll be on the Ghost if you need us. Sabine, I presume you'll stay and keep Ezra company?"

"Definitely."

The rest of the crew then went to do their own things, and the medics came and set up a cot for Sabine to sleep on next to Ezra's bed.

At least that was their intention.

The young woman did anything _but_ sleep for the first few hours of the night. Her fitful tossing and turning was incredibly loud, both physically and in the Force. Ezra finally got tired of it and sat straight up in spite of his wounds. "Sabine, for kriff's sake, stop."

The stern tone of his voice cut deep. Sabine was instantly ashamed. "S-sorry. It's just... it's been a rough couple of days."

"How so?"

Sabine then proceeded to tell him everything about her nightmares. The Jedi could do nothing but lay there and let his mouth hang. He couldn't believe she was dealing with this.

And it was partially his fault. If he hadn't been screwing around helping Maul, then she and Kanan never would have been in that mess.

"Sabine... I'm sorry. I... I had no idea."

He had nearly lost his life on that mission. It was impossible to imagine what she would have gone through if he hadn't come out in one piece.

The Mandalorian then stood up and sat on the edge of Ezra's bed. "May I?"

"Please do."

She then proceeded to lay down beside him, careful as to not aggravate is his injuries. Ezra gently put his arm around her shoulders and they laid there and stared up at the ceiling.

"So... about our little chat earlier", he began.

"Yeah?"

"Before Hera called us to the Ghost, what where you gonna say?"

Sabine bit her lip. Her anxiety came back in a torrent, but she decided to throw it out the window. If Ezra had died today, he never would have known how she felt.

She was going to tell him.

"Ezra Bridger... I... I love you."

Before he could say anything, she moved her head and kissed him.

And galactic history was forever changed.


	3. Chapter 3

"The only thing I'm learning is that Ezra must be _really_ gifted to learn as well as he has from a _lousy_ teacher like you!!"

Sabine angrily threw her training stick on the ground and stormed away from the camp. Ezra watched her walk away and then looked at Kanan, speaking to his master through their Force bond.

 _"She needs to understand the responsibility, Ezra."_

 _"You're not exactly helping the situation, Kanan. I can tell she has some unresolved issues that she needs to work through."_

 _"Well then, maybe you can help her in that regard. Go."_

Ezra followed Sabine, finding her kicking a rock in exasperation.

"Hey."

"Not now, Ezra."

"Look, I just wanted to say I know what it's like. Believe me, Kanan's not the easiest teacher to have, but, he means well."

Sabine scoffed. "Does he? Do any of them?"

Ezra merely stood there, waiting for her to let out her pent-up anxiety.

"I know how to fight. I believe I can learn to use that sword. I just don't want everything that comes with it."

"You mean your family?"

"I'm a disgrace to them, Ezra. A _traitor_."

"But that's not true."

"To them it _is_. You don't know. No one does."

She turned away for a few seconds, eyes not meeting her Jedi boyfriend's gaze. It was taking Ezra a lot of restraint to not just run over and capture her in his arms.

"I don't wanna talk about these things!!", she finally exclaimed, "How can I lead my people?! How can I go back there and face them?!"

"I'm sorry, Sabine."

Ezra turned around and began walking back to camp, somewhat heartbroken that Sabine wasn't willing to open up to him.

"At least you have parents to go back to."

Those words cut Sabine to the bone. Here she was, being selfish about not wanting to return to her family, when she forgot that Ezra had no family left. Before she could do or say anything, she saw he was gone.

"Ezra..."

Later that night, after Sabine returned to camp and managed to successfully beat Kanan in a duel, they returned to base and boarded the Ghost to rest up. When Kanan went up to the cockpit, Sabine grabbed Ezra by the shoulder and stopped him from leaving the cargo hold.

"Sabine, wha-"

She hugged him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Ezra. About earlier."

He hugged her back. "It's okay, Sabine. Really."

"No, it's not. I was selfish and heartless. I don't deserve your forgiveness."

"Yes, you do. Look at me", he said as he grabbed her face and made her look into his eyes, "No matter what happens, you always have my forgiveness. I promise."

Sabine was on the verge of crying for the second time that night, and after Ezra kissed her on the cheek lovingly, she let it all out again.

 **Time jump...**

Sabine had just defeated Gar Saxon and won back the respect of her family and clan. Now, she, Kanan, and Ezra were loading up the Phantom. Once they were done, the young woman got a serious look on her face.

"Kanan... I'm staying here."

"What?", both Jedi said in unison.

"My father is on Mandalore. We'll find a way to get him back... and then we'll join the fight against the Empire. This just feels like something I need to do."

Kanan chuckled and stepped forward. "I'm so..."

"Don't say you're proud of me."

"Proud of you", he said with a cheeky grin.

 **Yeah, I never liked how he didn't actually say it. Respect your space daughter, damnit!!**

Ezra was next in line for goodbyes. Sabine started by hugging him, not caring in the slightest that her mother and brother were watching. Tristan was about to intervene, but Ursa held him back.

"I'll miss you", Ezra murmured into the top of Sabine's head.

"I'll miss you, too. Don't have too much fun without me."

The Padawan kissed her forehead before he stepped into the Phantom.

"Goodbye, cyar'ika."

Sabine's eyes widened when he spoke the Mando'a endearment. She ran forward and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, kissing him hard and fast.

"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, Ez'ika", she whispered in his ear before going back to stand by her mother and brother.

As the Phantom took off, Ezra stood at the door and leaned his forehead against it, praying to the Force that Sabine would stay safe until he could see her again.

"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, Sab'ika."

 _I know you in my heart forever._

 **Mando'a Clarification:**

 **For anyone who's confused, "kartayl" is masculine and kartayli" is feminine.**


	4. Chapter 4

**My apologies for the removal of this chapter. I wasn't pleased with the quality of the original version and decided to give it an extreme rewrite. The core idea is still the same, but hopefully it comes across as more professional and not as rushed as before. Anyways, enjoy.**

Sabine awoke to find herself in an unfamiliar room. The bed was much larger and more comfortable than the squeaky old cot she had been sleeping on in her month and a half on Krownest, with thick orange blankets and pillows as soft as clouds.

"This is a dream", she blurted.

Aside from her post-Dathomir nightmares, the young woman wasn't much of a dreamer. Then again, she barely ever got any sleep, what with the Rebellion and all. Therefore it was easy for her to deduce when she was dreaming.

"Might as well explore."

She climbed out of the strange bed and the door opened to reveal a short hallway. It led to a kitchen/dining room that was connected to a living area.

That's when she saw him.

He was sitting criss-cross on the floor in the center of the living room, eyes closed in meditation.

"Ezra?"

"Good morning, sleepyhead", he replied cheekily.

Sabine was too confused to laugh. She walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa, eyeing her boyfriend quizzically. "What is this?"

Ezra stopped meditating and stood up, taking a seat beside her. "It's a Force dream."

"Force dream? But I'm not connected to the Force."

"Sabine, every living thing is connected to the Force. Some are just more attuned to it than others. Sensitivity becomes irrelevant when we stop and consider that the Force acts in mysterious ways that we can never predict."

The Mandalorian groaned and rubbed her forehead. "Oh please, don't start with the cryptic mumbo-jumbo. You're gonna give me a migraine."

Ezra chuckled and kissed her hand. "As you wish, cyar'ika."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Sabine made an inference as to what was going on. "So I guess the Force thinks I deserve to have a happy dream for once?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's an omnipotent energy field, right? It must know my feelings. So it's creating this dream for me because it knows I miss you?"

Now it was Ezra's turn to be confused. "You mean... you mean you're dreaming, too?"

"Yeah. Wait, what do you mean?"

"Sabine, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think the Force is bridging our minds. We're dreaming together."

The Mandalorian remained stoic, merely letting out a slight laugh. "Well, it's not the craziest thing I've ever heard about the Force. So it's really you, huh?"

Ezra responded by softly cupping her cheek and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. He moved his other hand to her thigh and rubbed it gently, causing Sabine to purr like a Lothcat. When they separated, the young Jedi smiled from ear-to-ear.

"I guess we're bonded."

Sabine blushed. They were kriffing _bonded_ through the Force. If that wasn't proof of true love, then nothing was.

"I... I miss you."

"I miss you, too, Sabine. Things have been... less exciting without you around."

"Oh please. At least your days aren't spent in a dark war room staring at holograms until your eyes bleed. My mother's voice is _still_ echoing in my head with strategies and beratements."

They shared a laugh before Ezra snaked his arm over her shoulders. "This is nice."

"Yeah", Sabine sighed, "A shame it's just a dream."

"Ya know, it doesn't have to stay a dream."

"What do you mean?"

"After all of this is over... the war, I mean... I think we have something here."

Sabine smiled. "I _know_ we do."

All of a sudden, she felt dizzy. The Mandalorian looked at her hand and saw that it was fading into transparency.

"Wh-Wha... what's happening?"

"I think you're waking up", Ezra realized, "I'll try and learn how to connect us myself so we can do this again."

"Okay. I love you, Ezra."

The last syllable of his name trailed off into the aether as Sabine awoke from the dream and faded away.

Each of them spent the next few weeks working as hard as possible during their respective days so they could get to sleep and see one another as fast as possible. It was a relief for both of them to have a break from the constant flow of warfare that seemed to fill their daily lives.

One day **(or night, I guess)** , Ezra decided to do something crazy. He and Sabine had just been talking about the increasing Imperial activity in the Lothal Sector when he changed the subject.

"So... I've been thinking... about after the war."

"What about it, Ezra?"

"Well... I'm not sure I want to wait until then", he said nervously as he grabbed her hand, "Sabine Wren, I love you and I can't bear to spend another second of my life not permanently bonded with you. Will... will you marry me?"

The Mandalorian's eyes widened in utter surprise. Here they were, practically on opposite sides of the galaxy, asleep, in a connected dream, and Ezra had just asked her the biggest question she'd ever have to answer.

On the one hand, they were both young; him barely eighteen and her on the cusp of twenty.

On the other hand, Ezra did seem right for not wanting to wait. After all, there was always a chance that one of them could cash out permanently, and each passing day represented another missed opportunity. After a quick bit of soul-searching, Sabine made her decision.

"Yes, Ezra. I will."

He looked at her in surprise, unable to believe that she had accepted his offer. "R-really?"

She nodded and then began speaking in Mando'a

"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."

Ezra gulped nervously. Marriage vows. He had looked them up on the Holonet recently and spent hours memorizing them. Now was his ultimate test.

"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."

Sabine smiled after he finished and kissed him passionately. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, riduur."

 _I know you in my heart forever, Husband._

Ezra pressed his forehead against hers and sighed happily. "Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum, riduur."

 _I know you in my heart forever, Wife._

As much as they both wanted to savor this precious moment, neither was able to stop themselves from waking up. They shared one last kiss in the dream before returning to reality.

Ezra walked into the common room on the Ghost beaming brighter than a megastar, bringing a look

of confusion to Hera's face.

"What's got you so happy today?", she asked as she poured him a mug of caf.

The Padawan sipped the beverage and tapped the mug a few times before dropping the bombshell.

"I just got married."

He had to use the Force to catch two falling mugs of caf while he used his arms to catch a falling Twi'lek as Hera fainted.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a day of celebration on Mandalore.

Tiber Saxon was dead and the Imperial garrison was in shambles. Bo-Katan Kryze had claimed the Darksaber as well as her rightful place as ruler of Mandalore, uniting the clans under one goal of maintaining their heritage and freedom.

And it was largely thanks to Sabine.

Along with Ezra, Kanan, and Chopper, she had rescued her father, faced one of her oldest demons, and helped secure a brighter future for her people in the span of about two standard days.

But her hardships were far from over.

Kanan and Ezra were due back on Yavin the following day, and she had already decided to return to the Rebellion, but that wasn't what was worrying her.

The artist was afraid of what her mother and father would do when they found out that she and Ezra were married. Things had been so hectic that they hadn't had time to drop the bombshell. Now, as every member of every clan feasted and drank around her, Sabine twiddled her thumbs nervously as she scanned the room for any sight of her young husband.

He was nowhere to be seen.

 _The Mandalorian way to party must not be very appealing to him_ , she asserted.

After accepting congratulations and denying advances from several young men from other clans, Sabine excused herself from the celebration and went searching for Ezra. She checked every tent in the camp before looking outside.

And there he was. Sitting on his knees in meditation, with the moon Concordia casting a vibrant blue light over Mandalore's barren landscape.

Sabine quietly walked over and sat down beside her Jedi lover, keeping quiet as to not disturb him. When she took her place on the ground, she heard Ezra sigh.

"You're nervous", he said bluntly, "So am I."

"So you knew what I was about to say, huh?", the artist chuckled.

Ezra nodded. "It's been on my mind the entire time we've been here, Sabine. Kanan told me that we're leaving in half an hour, so this'll probably be our last chance for a while."

"Right. Let's go."

They stood up and locked arms before walking back to camp. Bo-Katan saw them enter the mess tent and shouted in Mando'a for everyone to quiet down.

The room fell silent and all eyes turned towards the young couple. Sabine cleared her throat and began speaking to her people.

"Brothers, sisters, warriors of Mandalore, it has been a true privilege for me to fight alongside all of you to free our home from the tyranny of the Empire... but I come to you bearing the news of my departure. As some of you know, I was a member of the Rebellion in its earliest days before I returned to Krownest. I made a promise that I would return to them after rescuing my father. To preserve my honor, I am keeping my word to my friends and leaving within the hour."

The crowd didn't make a sound, continuing to listen intently.

"And that is not all. My mother and father, honorable Countess and Count of Clan Wren, have to know something before I leave."

Ursa and Alrich stepped forward, the former suspiciously eyeing her daughter having locked arms with the Jedi. Sabine let go of Ezra and stepped forward to face her parents.

"Te jetiise cuyir ner riduur."

 _The Jedi is my husband._

At the utterance of that sentence, every Mandalorian in the room gasped. Ursa's muscles contracted so tightly she almost crushed her helmet under her arm.

"When?", the Countess snarled.

"Months ago, Mother. You honestly wouldn't believe me if I told you about the circumstances. The point is, I love Ezra. It was my choice to marry him and your approval is irrelevant now."

All of a sudden, a young man from Clan Rook shouted from the back of the room. "Heresy!!"

Bo-Katan raised a fist and two of her warriors found the dissident and made sure he kept his mouth shut.

Finally, Alrich stepped past Sabine and faced Ezra. His stern expression quickly melted into a smile and he gave the young man a firm handshake.

"I can't think of a better man to be my daughter's husband. Congratulations."

Ezra released a breath he didn't know he had been holding and smiled back. "Thank you, sir."

Ursa didn't say anything for a few minutes, the tension in the room thick enough to cut with the Darksaber. She finally gave up her tough warrior mother façade and handed Sabine her helmet. The woman then stepped forward to her son-in-law and pointed a judgmental finger in his face.

"If you ever wrong my daughter in any way, shape, or form, I will hunt you down", she growled.

Ezra was nervous again.

But then, Ursa hugged him.

"Be good to her."

Sabine smiled when she saw that her parents approved of her marriage. Congratulations were passed around by the various clan leaders before the two young rebels locked arms again.

"Goodbye, Mother. Goodbye, Father."

"Farewell, ad'ika", Alrich said with a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

Sabine and Ezra left the camp and headed to the Gauntlet.

Back to the war.


	6. Chapter 6

Lothal.

The crew had successfully snuck past Thrawn's blockade and met up with Ryder Azadi. However, they had all nearly been killed in the process, only surviving because of Ryder's sewer escape tunnels. Now, Ezra was sitting on the ground just outside of their base camp and staring across the scorched grasslands. The smog irritates his lungs and fueled his already-burning anger.

 _The Empire did this to my home,_ he thought _, and they're going to pay._

Sabine had just finished helping Ryder do some tune-ups on his U-Wing when she found her husband. Even from the short distance away she could tell he was quaking with anger. Quietly walking over, the Mandalorian sat down beside him.

"Hey."

"Not now, Sabine", he said gruffly.

 _Please go away, Sabine. I don't want my anger to get the better of me and make me hurt you._

"Relax, Ez. I'm just here to talk."

She put her hand on his back in an attempt to ease his feelings, her heart dropping when she felt his muscles trembling.

"Whatever it takes, we're gonna get your home back. I promise. You helped me free my world, I'll help you free yours."

"That's funny", he scoffed, "Did you pack an army in your explosives bag?"

"What? Ezra, what do you mean?"

"It's gonna take an entire karking army to take back Lothal. The only reason we sent you back to your damn family was so you could convince them to help us attack Lothal, but do I see any other Mandalorians around? No. I'd say that counts as a definite failure."

 _You karking idiot!! Shut up!!_

"E-Ezra... you're not thinking straight."

"Oh no, Sabine. My brain is perfectly clear. You failed and now my homeworld is going to keep suffering because of your failure!!"

That did it. Sabine's will broke and her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly stood up and ran away from her husband, leaving him sitting there heaving with anger. Once he calmed down, he realized what he had just done.

He had blamed Sabine, the love of his life, for everything that had happened to Lothal.

"Oh no."

Hera and Kanan were in the makeshift war room making plans with Ryder when Ezra burst in looking visibly worried. "Where's Sabine?"

"She took a bike south to the plains. Looked pretty upset", the Twi'lek answered, "Something to do with you?"

"We got in a fight. I said some things I shouldn't have said. I need to find her."

The young Jedi went to the motor pool and got a speeder, pulling out his datapad so he could track Sabine's comlink. Indeed, she was heading south.

He put the speeder on full throttle.

 _You moron. Sabine is the only one who really understands you and you had to push her away like that. You don't deserve her love. She's going to leave you and it'll be your own fault._

Ezra had to wipe developing tears from his eyes so he didn't crash, but he eventually found Sabine's speeder bike at the top of a hill leading down into a small canyon. He parked his own speeder and went down to look for her.

"Sabine!! Where are you?! Sabine!!"

Eventually, the tracker led him to a cave in the canyon wall. He went inside and found Sabine sitting on the ground staring at ancient Lothalian cave paintings.

"S-Sabine?"

She said nothing, not even protesting when he sat down beside her.

"I... I'm sorry, Sabine. I didn't mean to take my anger out on you."

She shifted slightly, still silent.

"It's just... seeing everything that the Empire has done to my home... it's opened up the worst of me. I didn't want this for either of us."

The Mandalorian still didn't speak. She turned her head towards her husband, her frown morphing into a vicious sneer, and slapped him hard across the left cheek.

"Ow!!"

"That's for being a bantha's ass", Sabine growled.

"Okay, I deserved that", Ezra groaned as he rubbed his face.

His wife then grabbed the collar of his shirt and kissed him passionately. Ezra melted into the embrace and wrapped his arms around his young wife, holding her tight and never wanting to let go. Sabine broke the kiss and giggled. "That's for being _my_ bantha's ass."

"So all's forgiven?"

"All's forgiven."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Sabine."

"I know, cyar'ika."

Ezra looked at the cave entrance and saw that it was just about nightfall. "Lothal's summer nights get pretty cold. I think we should stay here until morning."

Sabine smirked and gave him a quick hard kiss. "Good idea, because there's some other tension that needs to be resolved."

"What do you... oh...", Ezra drooled before his wife pushed him down onto his back.

 **A bit of cheeky teasing instead of full-on smut never hurts, does it? Anyway, next chapter is when the ultimate change happens. Stay tuned!!**


End file.
